THE MISER
February 2011
There once was a very rich miser. Obsessed with getting richer, he spent as little as possible, going around in ragged clothes and eating sparingly.
He insisted that his family live that way too. He never spent an extra naya paisa.
One day, the miser fell ill and since he did not want to spend on a doctor, everyone despaired for his life. His friends urged him to make a will but he kept putting it off, because the thought of parting with his wealth was abhorrent.
The son of his tailor who had died a few months ago came to meet him. Without beating about the bush, he told him, “Sethji, they say that you are going to die. When you go to heaven, can you please give this needle to my father? I had a dream where he asked me to send the needle through you.”
The seth threw down the needle indignantly, “You foolish boy, don’t talk nonsense. Of course, I cannot take a needle with me. I can take nothing.”
The tailor’s son paused and then said slowly, “Then Sethji, how do you plan to take your millions of rupees?”
The miser was shocked. He realised that he had foolishly held on to his wealth and now he would not enjoy any of it. He understood that money was meant to be used and not hoarded.
Getting up from his sick bed, he took himself to a doctor and soon got well. A changed man, he was a miser no more. Instead he gave his wealth liberally to all good causes and looked after his family and employees with love and generosity. The wonder was, the more he spent, the more he got!
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